Students at Glenmerry Elementary School will mark the end of an era when classes wrap up for the final time in the old building on Friday, June 20.
The early closure, announced by the Kootenay-Columbia School District in a June 5 letter to families, aligns with construction timelines as the district prepares to move into the long-awaited replacement facility.
The break will provide time to pack and transition before abatement and demolition begins on the aging school, which has served the community for 66 years.
Built in 1959, Glenmerry Elementary was originally constructed for children living in the Glenmerry neighbourhood.
Over the decades, the school absorbed students from across Trail following the closures of Sunningdale Elementary in 1997, East Trail’s Laura J. Morrish Elementary in 1999, and Central School in 2000.
As a result, Glenmerry became Trail’s only Kindergarten-to-Grade-7 public school.
To keep pace with increasing enrolment, six portables were added to the site.
By 2018, the student population had reached 370, far above the original building’s capacity of 270.
Despite renovations over the years, ongoing maintenance issues, limited space, traffic congestion, and safety concerns at drop-off further underscored the need for a new school.
Seven years ago, Glenmerry’s Parent Advisory Council began advocating for a replacement, supported by Trail city council, school trustees, and district administration.
Their efforts were rewarded three years later when the provincial government announced a $39.1 million investment in a new school.
Ground broke on the project in September 2022.
The new facility, designed to accommodate 435 students, is located next to the original school.
The province notes that the building is being constructed to LEED Gold standards, a framework for healthy, efficient, carbon- and cost-saving green buildings. (LEED — Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design — is a widely used global certification for sustainable construction.)
The new Glenmerry Elementary School will open for the start of the 2025–2026 school year this fall.
The transition marks a significant milestone for the Glenmerry school community, and a fresh chapter in public education for Trail.
Recognizing that the schedule adjustment may pose challenges for families, the school district has provided optional school care from Monday, June 23 to Wednesday, June 25.
This service will be offered at the Kootenay-Columbia Learning Centre in East Trail, with transportation arranged for students.
